Madrid: Defending Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris claimed pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday, beating championship leader Kimi Antonelli in qualifying in Madrid. Norris posted a lap time of 1 minute, 31.824 seconds to edge Antonelli by just 0.011 seconds.

According to Anadolu Agency, Norris' pole came after a difficult Friday in which a gearbox change forced him to miss the second practice session. "I'm shocked, I'm a little bit surprised to be here now. My god, it was one of the best laps I've done in my career. Very happy. I had a good idea of what I wanted to do, it was whether my brain would let me," Norris said after qualifying.

Antonelli will start alongside Norris on the front row, while four-time world champion Max Verstappen qualified third for Red Bull. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will start fourth and fifth, respectively, with Mercedes' George Russell in sixth. Antonelli leads the drivers' standings with 267 points, 66 points ahead of teammate Russell on 201.

Hamilton is third in the championship with 191 points, while Norris sits fourth on 171, 96 points behind Antonelli. Antonelli topped Saturday's final practice, which was interrupted by crashes involving Hamilton and Oliver Bearman. Bearman did not take part in qualifying because of damage to his Haas sustained during final practice.

Sunday's race, the 14th round of the 2026 Formula 1 season, will be the first Formula 1 Grand Prix held at Madring, bringing F1 racing back to Madrid for the first time in 45 years.